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American Journal of Public Health logoLink to American Journal of Public Health
. 1994 Nov;84(11):1849–1851. doi: 10.2105/ajph.84.11.1849

Childhood out-of-home care and current depressive symptoms among homeless adults.

D B Herman 1, E S Susser 1, E L Struening 1
PMCID: PMC1615216  PMID: 7977934

Abstract

Previous research indicates that adverse childhood experiences are associated with depression during adulthood under conditions of social stress. This relationship was examined in a large sample of homeless adults (n = 1849). Subjects with evidence of severe mental disorders such as schizophrenia were excluded. Those with out-of-home care (e.g., foster, group, or institutional care) during childhood were significantly more likely than those without such care to report current severe depressive symptoms (CES-D score greater than or equal to 30). The finding, which held up in multivariate analysis when potential confounders were statistically controlled, supports the theory that certain developmental experiences are risk factors for subsequent depressive symptoms.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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